What Is It About Nancy Drew, Anyway?

Mentioning Nancy Drew in a crowd of bookish women is a catalyst for rhapsody. Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, with its nod to her childhood love of the girl detective, has launched passionately fond recollections by fans, who find among their ranks not just Sotomayor but Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Those who never read the series as kids, or never got into it, find the passion of Nancy Drew admirers puzzling, but trust us: It's not about the writing.